Is the Risk Real With the New gTLD Program?

It’s late in the new gTLD day and the program looks to be inching ever closer to the finish line. Yet last minute hiccups seem to be a recurring theme for this ambitious project to expand the Internet namespace far beyond the 300 odd active TLDs in existence today (counting generics and country codes). A drive for growth which is already underway, with 63 gTLD contracts now signed as of mid September. The list includes incumbents like .COM, of course, but also a spate of the first of the new strings that are set to be commonplace for tomorrow’s Internet users.

But will those users find themselves at greater risk because of this namespace expansion? That’s what several parties have been asking in recent months. Not that increasing the number of gTLDs is inherently dangerous. No, the risk would appear to be with the way it’s currently being done if you listen to ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) who has put out several reports such as SAC045 and SAC046 recommending action be taken to mitigate the risk. One of the most recent prods from SSAC was SAC059, which was published on April 18, 2013, and underscored the need for additional interdisciplinary study. Read further on circleID

Brent Donald

This is my collection of some of the things I find interesting from art, design, internet culture, technology and advertising and scoops I get from colleagues and my searches. Internet technology is one of the best technologies that we have been afforded to utilize accordingly.